Demonstrators Rally Nationwide in ‘Hands Off!’ Protests: A Visual Journey
Washington, D.C., April 6, 2025 – On Saturday, April 5, tens of thousands of Americans flooded streets, parks, and capitols in over 1,200 “Hands Off!” protests across all 50 states, a coast-to-coast cry against President Donald Trump’s administration and billionaire advisor Elon Musk’s policies. NPR’s The Picture Show, alongside member station photographers, captured the raw energy of these demonstrations—spanning Portland’s rain-soaked marches to Hartford’s multigenerational stand—uniting a kaleidoscope of grievances under one banner: “Hands off our rights, jobs, and democracy.”
A Nation on its Feet
The protests, organized by over 150 groups—civil rights advocates, labor unions, LGBTQ+ activists, veterans, and more—erupted as Trump’s April 2 tariffs (10% universal, 54% on China) tanked markets (Nasdaq down 10%) and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed federal jobs. In Washington, D.C., thousands sprawled across the National Mall, dwarfing the Washington Monument with signs like “Hands Off Social Security” and “Unplug Elon,” per NPR’s lens. Joni Auden Land of OPB snapped Portland’s throng—thousands strong—chanting against what they call a “billionaire power grab,” their umbrellas a defiant shield against drizzle.
Connecticut’s Capitol steps overflowed into Bushnell Park, where 95-year-old Neal Testerman, flanked by his daughter and granddaughter, told Connecticut Public’s Ryan Caron King, “Trump’s policies will cost us globally.” Macon, Georgia, saw 500 rally in solidarity, Grant Blankenship of GPB framing their homemade posters— “Hands Off Our Jobs”—against a humid sky. Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza pulsed with thousands, Pastor Michael McBride leading chants as Juniper Tinker Ward waved a sign slamming Musk and Trump, per KQED’s Aryk Copley.
Faces of Fury
The images tell personal stories. In Hartford, Testerman’s weathered hands gripped a cane, his eyes fixed on a future he fears slipping away. Austin’s Texas Capitol hosted thousands, Manoo Sirivelu of KUT catching Rep. Greg Casar mid-speech, rallying against deportations—days after a Maryland green card holder’s accidental exile to El Salvador. Tigard, Oregon’s Universal Plaza framed drenched protesters cheering, their “Hands Off!” banners vivid against gray clouds, per OPB.
Oakland’s marchers—thousands deep—stretched through downtown, a sea of coats and fists dwarfing city blocks, KQED’s shots revealing a resolve undeterred by scale. Macon’s smaller crowd stood tight-knit, Blankenship’s lens zooming on a child’s sign: “Save My School.” Each frame, from NPR’s network, stitches a national quilt—diverse yet united in dread of tariffs, cuts, and Musk’s unelected sway.
A Movement in Motion
Organizers pegged turnout beyond 250,000, dwarfing the 500,000 RSVPs, per Axios. Posts on X echoed the scale: “Hands Off! in NYC—100k+ strong,” one claimed, while another mused, “Portland’s march felt endless.” The protests, sparked by Trump’s border raids, DOGE’s layoffs, and economic fallout—Apple down 14%, Nigeria’s naira at N1,600/$1—drew a broader net than 2017’s Women’s March, touching small towns like Sylva, N.C. (300 against park cuts, per BPR), and global cities like Paris, per Al Jazeera.
